French sevens simply will not stop winning. At the U18 European Championships played last week in Říčany, in the Czech Republic, both French sides retained their crowns. And in both cases, Spain were the victims.

The boys see off Spain in the final

Against Spain, France were never troubled for long. Winning 21-12 in the final, they claim a sixth consecutive continental title on top of the five they had already won. The route there was a warning in itself: 46-0 against Turkey, 38-0 against Portugal and a crushing 73-7 handed to Lithuania, before seeing off hosts the Czech Republic in the semi-final.

The numbers are almost insolent. More than 46 points scored per match on average and only 19 conceded across the whole tournament, all of them against Lithuania and in that Spanish final.

The girls take their revenge on Spain

For the French girls, Spain held a particular status: that of executioner. A year earlier, Spain had ended a run of five French wins and taken the title. This time the account was settled: France beat Spain in the final to win back their crown, at the end of a tournament they dominated from first to last. In the pool stage, Turkey (52-0), Poland (36-0) and the Czech Republic (45-0) had already been swept aside.

A next generation with pedigree already

This generation does not just have results, it has names. Several sons of former internationals are among them: Toulouse’s Pablo Garbajosa (son of José), Clermont’s Jules Vermeulen (son of Elvis), and Gaspard and Simon Laharrague. The development clubs are savouring it too, Rugby Club Vannes among them, whose Nathanaël Senga-Kouo reached the top of Europe.

Next up for these French boys: the International Series, in South Africa from 7 to 15 August.